Synopsis
After half a century of armed conflict and three failed peace processes, the oldest guerrilla in the world, the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC), begins a dialogue with the Colombian government, promising to silence their weapons and undertake the transition into the political spheres.
In this final stretch, which took more than 6 years, some of the 8000 men, women and children who brandished weapons in order to survive in the jungle, face with uncertainty the end of a battle.
Other guerrilla members defended their revolutionary ideals in Havana, Cuba, during a peace process that awoke mixed feelings in the Colombian public opinion, which in ended up divided and polarized.
Through the director’s independent, incisive and critical look, this is the intimate close-up of some of the FARC's political and military strategists, as well as the spokespeople of the government’s delegation. The constant confrontation to each of the parties about their speeches, their promises, their successes and failures, allow us to understand the challenge of building trust with our enemies, to establish a common language and convince a country and the world’s public opinion, that these historical enemies are ready to battle together, from the same standpoint, the most difficult battle, the final one: The battle for reconciliation and peace. This is the intimate account of a story that changed history.
Frequently asked questions
What is When the Guns Go Silent about?
It is a documentary that follows from the inside the peace process between the Colombian State and the FARC, the oldest guerrilla in the world: more than six years of talks, including the Havana (Cuba) negotiations, told through the FARC's political and military strategists and the spokespeople of the government delegation.
Who directed the documentary?
Natalia Orozco, director and screenwriter. A journalist with 10 years of experience as an international correspondent, she has twice won the Simón Bolívar National Journalism Award (2010 and 2012).
Who produced When the Guns Go Silent?
It is a co-production of Pulso Mundo, Alegria Films and ARTE France. Its original title is El Silencio de los Fusiles.
Which festivals has it been shown at?
The Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI 2017), Cinelatino Toulouse, DocsBarcelona 2017 and the Buenos Aires Human Rights Film Festival.
Where can I get the documentary?
The DVD is available from Elite Entretenimiento. Commercial distribution in Colombia is handled by Cineplex. To organise a screening, write to us through the contact form on this site.
What is the impact initiative?
It is called Cine para Sanar: a programme of screenings in urban and rural Colombia, followed by Q&A sessions or non-violent communication workshops, that highlights the value of dialogue and consensus-building as a way to address conflicts.
Natalia Orozco
Director
Filmmaker and journalist, Natalia has a master in Humanitarian Cooperation and Political Sciences, both obtained in Paris, France . Directed and wrote documentaries and journalistic reports such as “Guantanamo, until when?” (2011), and “Gypsies, citizens without a country” (2011).
She wrote and directed the documentary “Benghazi, beyond the front line” (2012), a coproduction between France (France TV), México (Once TV), and Colombia (RCNTV), winner of the CBP prize for the best work for TV, 2014. She’s the two year winner of the National Simon Bolivar Journalist Award (2010 and 2012).
With 10 years of experience as an international correspondent for radio, print, and TV, first in Europe and then in Washington DC, She’s covered different war regions of the world, world events (UN, OTAN, G8), and has interviewed different world leaders and personalities for international news outlets: George W Bush, Evo Morales (Bolivia), Alvaro Uribe (Colombia), Vicente Fox (México). She’s the cofounder of the Colombian independent news outlet @las2orillas.
The Documentary’s Team
Etienne Boussac - Editing
Daniella Botero - Assistant Director
Juan Fernando Mosquera - Script consultant
Willian Alfonso M.- Photography
Alejandro Ramirez R.- Original Score
Sergio Godoy - Logistics Coordinator
Rafael Becerra - Finalization
Executive Producers
Julian Giraldo - RCN TV
Alex Zalat - ARTE Francia
Natalia Orozco - Pulso Mundo
Christinne Camdessus - Alegria Films
Serge Gordey -Alegria Films
Impact Initiative
Natalia Orozco - Director and workshop
Juan Fernando Mosquera - Workshop
Camila Zuluaga - Workshop
Sergio Godoy - Logistics Coordinator
Commercial Distribution
Alba McAllister
Cineplex
elbamc@cineplex.com.co
IMPACT INITIATIVE
Cine para Sanar is the name of our impact initiative.
Through several screenings of “When the Guns Go Silent” in the rural and urban Colombia, we aim to highlight the value of dialogue and consensus-making as the road to approach any conflict respectfully and calmly, as well as to give the audience useful tools to make agreements that allow people to overcome differences or live with them peacefully.
The screenings are followed by Q&A’s with members of the team or characters from the documentary, or by workshops of non-violent communication taught by experts on the subject and adapted to the different audiences.
We are inspired by 5 specific goals:
- To contribute to an understanding of the origin and history of the FARC, and in general the dynamics that have fueled the armed conflict in Colombia, as a basis for the creation of a dialogue that values respect, and invites to the future construction of a tolerant country.
- To promote in the audience a reflection around the cost of the indifference of some sectors of the Colombian society in the face of the conflict, and on their individual positions and actions in relation to the Colombian violence.
- To humanize the conflict by discovering the experiences, circumstances and feelings of the people involved in the war, identifying common ground between us, and recognizing ourselves as equals.
- To invite people to reflect on the information dynamics and how we form our opinion about our “reality” in Colombia.
- To raise awareness in different sectors of society about the implications that the peace agreements signed in Havana have for the country, and on the importance that we, as a civil society, take action in order to make all the parties comply and implement the signed accords.
Join the community
When the Guns Go Silent
After the test screening of the documentary in front of several focus groups (ex-guerrilla commanders, opinion makers, politicians, human rights defenders, ex-combatants, victims of all the groups and entrepreneurs, among others) and after making a special screening in which we summoned historical enemies to sit together in front of a cinema screen (the military and the FARC leadership), we are convinced of the humanizing and pedagogical power of this work.
The hundreds of messages that we receive daily through our website and our social media pages, the more than 15,000 spectators who went to Colombian cinemas (which sold out most screenings and turned this documentary into the most seen in this type of alternative film circuits in the history of the country), in addition to the young students from the schools and universities where we’ve screened the film, reacted in such a way that their remarks and their insights reassure us of the mobilizing power of the film as a pedagogical tool to educate, support, and make people aware of the progress that’s being made in Colombia towards peace and reconciliation.
Fill the following form and tell us why you want to join!
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